Mary Tyler Moore

Effortlessly turning the world on with her smile in 2 classic sitcoms, the TV icon braved a string of tragedies before—at last—finding true contentment.

- Tom Gliatto

Remembering his wife, the legendary actress Mary Tyler Moore, Dr. Robert Levine is heartbroken, but—true to the spirit of one of the most beloved women in American comedy—he also finds comfort in memories of her special magic. “I can’t believe she is gone,” says Levine, who married the star of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1983 and helped her as she dealt with the progressive toll of type 1 diabetes. “Mary was my life, my light, my love. The emptiness I feel without her with me is without bottom. She was a force of nature who fiercely defended her autonomy even as her health was failing. Mary was fearless, determined and willful. If she felt strongly about something or that there was truth to be told, she would do it, no matter the consequences. She was kind, genuine, approachable, honest and humble.” And then, too, he adds, “she had that smile. Oh, to see her smile that smile just once more.”

That smile had lit up the world. As the news broke on Jan. 25 that Moore, 80, had died from cardiopulmonary arrest, pneumonia and other complications, millions of Americans felt “like they lost their dear friend,” says actress Georgia Engel, who played lovable Georgette on Moore’s classic 1970s sitcom. “I can’t tell you how many e-mails I’ve gotten from friends who didn’t know her but who take it as a personal loss—they grew up with her.” Valerie Harper, who played Mary’s pal Rhoda on the series, agreed. “I cannot stop the emotions I’m experiencing. She was my colleague, my sister-soulmate and, above all, one hell of a girlfriend!”